The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops have called upon Kenyans to avoid taking a U.N.-sponsored tetanus vaccine, saying it was laced with a hormone that causes "infertility and multiple miscarriages."

The bishops said they acquired four vials of the vaccine that were sent out for independent testing. The tests revealed that the vaccine contained the Beta-hCG hormone.

The bishops said they shared the results with Kenyan health officials and were "shocked at the level of dishonesty and casual manner in which such a serious issue is being handled by the government."

"We shall not waver in calling upon all Kenyans to avoid the tetanus vaccination campaign laced with Beta-hCG, because we are convinced that it is indeed a disguised population control program," the bishops said in a statement released November 6.

Dr. Collins Tabu, head of the health ministry's immunization program said government tests of the vaccine showed no traces of the hormone, reported the Nairobi-based Daily Nation. Tabu also said the church never shared the results of the independent tests with the ministry.

Tetanus is a bacterial disease that kills thousands of people worldwide. Most deaths occur in the developing world, where immunization levels have remained low. Women who give birth at home under unsterile conditions are particularly vulnerable to the disease.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have sponsored a vaccination campaign in Kenya, where home deliveries are still common.

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